Learn English with Teacher Joe

Here is one of my favorite childhood riddles:

Do you know why birds fly to south in the winter?

Okay, nobody guessed the answer this week, but I will give a bonus point to Hanane for trying. And in fact, she did get half the answer right: birds fly south for the same reason I flew south to Sanya this week - because it’s much too far to walk! (My legs would be really tired if I came on foot, though flapping my arms all the way is pretty exhausting too!)

To understand a riddle like this, you have to think literally. Normally, we just assume that birds (or tourists) will fly to their destination, so we focus on the end of the sentence and think of why they go south. But this answer surprises us by focusing on the how - flying instead of walking. I guess another answer could be, “Because taking a taxi would be too expensive”!

Hello from Sunny Sanya!

“Sunny Sanya” is the name of the hotel I’m staying in, down in the very south of China. The city is Sanya, in Hainan Island. I left home in minus 4 degree weather, wearing five layers of clothes. By the time I arrived in Sanya, I was wearing a T-shirt in 29 degree weather, with lots of sun and NINETY EIGHT PERCENT HUMIDITY! I was sweating like a pig and loving it! I may never return to Beijing. Well, I have to return to Beijing, but for now, I am dreaming of staying here forever…

After unpacking my clothes, I walked along the beach for while (more crowded than I expected, with the holiday being over) then sat down in a cafe overlooking the water. It was so relaxing to sit in the shade, listening to the waves crashing, watching people play in the water. In the evening, I found another bar/restaurant/cafe by the water where a live band was playing.

But now I think I’ve had enough relaxation. Tomorrow I’m going to take some bus tours in the morning, maybe go to see another beach nearby, to see how it compares, then I plan to swim all afternoon. It should be good exercise. And fun!

Here is the riddle of the week:

What are two things people never eat before breakfast?

The answer is “lunch and dinner” (or “lunch and supper”). The correct answer was given by reader Tony first, then by reader Sourabh. Congratulations to both!

I plan to have a new riddle every week. How many will you guess right?

Hello Everybody,

 The two-week Chinese New Year festival (called the Spring Festival in Chinese) is over. I made some videos of the fireworks (no, I did NOT cause the fire at the luxury hotel on the east side of town!) which you can see by clicking here (this was at midnight, to begin the new year) and then by clicking here (this was the final night, the first full moon of the new year).

My students have all come back to school well-rested, after spending a week or two or three visiting their families and relaxing. I, however, had only one DAY off, so I am not at all well-rested. But next week, finally, I will take a break. My plan is to visit the island of Hainan, in the south of China. I will spend a week swimming, cycling and sitting in the sun, AND planning future blog posts. I hope I will be able to add to this blog regularly when I get back to Beijing in March.

Let me know if you have any types of posts you like the most. Do you want more riddles? How about idioms? Maybe some jokes? Or are you interested in my life in Beijing? Write your requests in the Comments section and I’ll do what I can for you! 

I just made a web page for my students, describing the top 5 ways they can improve their pronunciation. The fifth way is to learn English rhythm. The fourth way is to record your own voice and listen to it again. Can you guess what the first three ways are? If you want to know, click the link below:

Learn English Pronunciation

Do you agree or disagree with these? Do you have any other ideas for learning pronunciation?